Answering the call

Illinois lineworkers go where needed

Lineworker walking through area impacted by hurricane Helene
Photo courtesy of Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative

As Hurricane Helene made landfall on Sept. 26 in Florida, lineworkers from electric cooperatives across the country were either already on their way or preparing to head out to help. They were ready and willing to offer their time and expertise to help more than a million people left in the dark in the wake of the natural disaster.

Almost all of Illinois’ electric co-ops dispatched crews to various locations affected by the massive storm. A few of those Illinois lineworkers share what they encountered while participating in a real-life example of one cooperative guiding principle — Cooperation Among Cooperatives — in action.

Drayton Davis, Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative

Drayton DavisPrior to Hurricane Helene, newly promoted Journeyman Lineman Drayton Davis had only participated once in a mutual aid effort, after a tornado wreaked havoc in Spoon River Electric Cooperative’s territory.

“I think we were there for five days. … It took a direct path, and it wasn’t overly widespread, whereas the hurricane was so widespread that everybody was affected by it,” says Davis. “[That] made it difficult, because you didn’t really know where to start, and [there] wasn’t an end in sight for several days.”

He and his fellow lineworkers had no idea what they were about to experience as they made their way to the first of two co-ops the RECC crew would end up assisting. “Nothing prepared you for what you were going to see when you got down there,” he says.

Lineworkers work to restore power after hurricane Helene
Photo courtesy of Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative

The crew left Illinois on Sept. 25 and arrived at Carroll Electric Membership Cooperative in Carrollton, Ga., the following day. They ended up leaving there on the 27th. “They didn’t get hit as badly as they were expecting,” Davis explains. Their next stop — Planters Electric Membership Corporation, also in Georgia — was a different story.

“It ended up taking us eight hours to get down there, just because of how bad the roads were. There were trees down everywhere, [broken] poles everywhere,” he says. “As we were headed down there, we started getting a feeling for what we were getting into.”

He says they were the first visiting crew to arrive, and that they were met with much gratitude. The crew was hosted by a local church throughout the duration of the storm recovery there.

“We would go back to Planters Electric to eat in the morning and to eat at night, [but] we slept at the church,” says Davis. Cots had been set up for the lineworkers in a building separate from the sanctuary.

“It was like a basketball court. They had a full kitchen … there were cookies in there the whole time — baked goods, milk in the refrigerator, Gatorade, water — everything you could think of that you’d want to get your hands on when you got done working a long day,” he describes. “We let them know how thankful we were.”

Davis says he was especially grateful for the church’s three showers and multiple bathrooms. “I haven’t [slept] in a man camp yet. I would [assume] that church was a lot better,” he laughs.

Each morning, they would gather at the cooperative, eat breakfast, and grab lunches, snacks and drinks to take with them. “Then we would head to our truck, meet up with the bird dog, and he would give us a breakdown on what materials we needed to load,” Davis explains.

The “bird dog” was a retired lineworker from Planters, who served as a point person for the RECC crew. “He basically got assigned an area, and since he was our bird dog, we went with him,” says Davis. “We’d hit the road for the day and be gone all day with him.”

Those days averaged 17 hours on the clock and presented other challenges. “It was a couple days [in] when all the water from the north headed south, that all the water started to rise,” he describes. “There were several times we were driving through water a foot and a half to 2 feet deep to get to a pole.”

Untangling wire from downed 80-foot canopy trees was another challenge. However, it was the snakes that really made an impression. “There was one right of way we walked through late one night,” says Davis. “A local there told us as we were walking in, ‘Hey, we call that [a] snake right of way.’”

At first, the crew thought he was joking. “[Later,] we’re stringing wire. We’re climbing through these trees trying to get wire through them … right when we’re making the splice back together so we can pull the wire up, we about step on a snake,” Davis laughs.

It turned out to be a copperhead. On another occasion, while standing in yet another fallen tree, a local gave him a warning. “‘Just to let you know, this morning … [that] tree was engulfed in rattlesnakes,’” Davis quotes. “Luckily, I didn’t see any.”

Every day they came back to the church, the lineworkers would find new thank-you letters on their cots. That wasn’t the only kindness the men received, however; they also came in from work to find their dirty clothes freshly laundered and folded.

According to him, southern hospitality is a real thing. “When we first got down there, people were only out of power for a couple of hours. They were super appreciative of us being there so soon,” says Davis. “By the time we left, and people were out of power for two weeks, [they were still] super appreciative of us being there. … Typically, if somebody’s out of power, they’re usually not in the best mood.”

As community members bonded in the face of the disaster, behind the scenes, lineworkers did, too. “We’d get back after working all day, and we’d sit outside the church and talk and hang out. There were a couple nights we stayed out there for a couple hours and just talked and stuff,” he says. “I met a lot of new friends down there … a lot of really good linemen.”

Davis says he would volunteer to go where needed again. “For everybody to be able to come together from each co-op … and work so well together, it’s kind of crazy to think that’s even possible to do,” he explains.

Austin Baskett, Menard Electric Cooperative

Austin BaskettThe Helene mutual aid trip was Austin Baskett’s first hurricane effort as an apprentice lineman. Like RECC, his crew’s first stop was Carroll EMC. After a brief period helping there, it was on to Planters EMC for the six men.

“I had no idea what to expect, really,” says Baskett. “The terrain is a lot different down there than what we’re used to here. It’s more like a forest in a lot of areas.”

He says most of their work was dealing with tree damage. “They weren’t expecting to get hit like they did. … It was supposed to go west of them,” he explains. “They were very happy to have the help and got everything together as quickly as possible, whether it came to food, housing, showering — everything like that.”

The Menard crew was on the detail for 13 days, according to Baskett. At night, the men slept in a tent city.

“It wasn’t as bad as what you [might] think,” he says. “You sleep on a cot, and there’s quite a few guys in there. They had AC, and that was wonderful.” The temporary complex was also equipped with a mobile shower unit.

Lineworkers walk through fallen trees and power lines after hurricane Helene
Photo courtesy of Menard Electric Cooperative

Baskett says there was a feeling of camaraderie when they took their meals in the food tent. “What was cool is that there were quite a few co-ops from Illinois there,” he says. “It was really good seeing them and talking to them and catching up and getting to work with them a little bit.”

During the first half of the trip, the Menard crew mainly worked rights of way.

“We took our right-of-way machine down with us. It’s a skid steer with a pole-setting attachment,” Baskett explains. “Usually, the wire is pretty well mangled. Trees have fallen through it, [it’s] stuck under the tree. If it’s too big of a tree, you’ve got to cut the wire out and pull it over. It’s an ordeal.

“It was mainly due to trees falling through line and either breaking the pole or breaking the wire, stuff that we do see up here from time to time. It was just [on] a large scale,” he adds.

Baskett says many of the local co-op members went above and beyond to show their gratitude. “We [talked] to quite a few members down there, and I can’t say enough good about them,” he shares. “Very kind, thankful that we were there, constantly coming out and talking to us and offering us water, Gatorade, anything they could do to help. They were outstanding.”

Their warm response broadened his perspective of his career as a lineworker. “It really makes you appreciate what you’re doing to try and help,” he explains. “[It] makes you feel good that the people really appreciate it, and they’re glad to see you there. [It] brings a whole new meaning to it.”

Zach Gaines, Corn Belt Energy Corporation

Zach GainesZach Gaines has been a journeyman lineman with Corn Belt Energy for three and a half years. A former resident of Louisiana, he often assisted following storms there, though not with an electric cooperative.

“I was pretty new in the field [then],” he explains. “This time, having a little bit more experience, I was able to help more. I felt like I was making a difference, being able to turn power on and things like that — getting that boost when people get their power back.”

When his crew arrived at Carroll EMC, Helene had not yet hit the area. “We were to meet back in the morning. … They didn’t really know what direction it was going to take … then it changed course overnight,” says Gaines.

The next day, they ended up picking up a couple sections of line before leaving for Planters EMC. “We were supposed to get there late in the night, and it ended up being early morning by the time we got there, because of the interstate closings and trees on the road,” he says. “It was definitely a different scene. I think they were caught off guard, and rightfully so.”

Lineworkers use a boat to help restore power after hurricane Helene
Photo courtesy of Corn Belt Energy Corporation

Some aspects of the terrain were new for Gaines. “I lived in southern Louisiana for six years, so I was expecting [something similar], but the sand roads threw me for a loop. It seemed like, if you weren’t on a main road, it was nothing but sand.”

Other settings were more familiar. “We had to use [a] boat and paddle through the swamp to pull up line. … In Louisiana, we had a whole bunch of line in the swamp. Maybe that’s why I volunteered,” he laughs.

The sheer amount of work was also new. “I know we put a good dent in the number of outages in the area we were in, but, man, it felt like it just kept going,” Gaines explains. “I’ve been on plenty of hurricanes in Louisiana, but all local to where we were. Within a week, it seemed like we had everything picked up every time, and this time, the damage just seemed much more widespread.”

Even so, he says he would go again. “[It’s] a pretty good feeling, turning people back on that have been off for weeks at a time,” explains Gaines. “[They’re] pretty grateful, even though they were out for two to three weeks.”

Scott McTaggart, Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative

Scott McTaggartScott McTaggart, a 22-year journeyman lineman and foreman with Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative, says that of the storms he has worked, Helene has been the most comparable to Hurricane Katrina. “There was still a ton of devastation, so I would hate to understate it, but [Helene] wasn’t quite at that level,” he explains. “Having had that experience, this felt more manageable, even though it was a massive undertaking.” He admits that part of that might be a result of experience, since he was an apprentice when Katrina hit.

McTaggart and his crew, like the others, spent a few nights at Carroll EMC before heading to Planters EMC. En route to their second destination, conditions around them worsened.

“Your GPS is telling you to go one way, but the roads are blocked off. You start guessing and heading in the general direction and hoping the next road is not,” he explains. “The number of downed trees just kept increasing, the amount of [downed] power lines kept increasing. It was obvious we were headed toward the devastation.”

He says they became fast friends with the local lineworkers, and he and his bird dog realized they had even worked some of the same storms. “You’re in the same trade, you’re trying to achieve the same goal. There’s a brotherhood,” says McTaggart. “I’m still friends with quite a few of them on Facebook … just from working together for two weeks.”

While working alongside these new friends, he realized something many people might not have considered. “A lot of these linemen didn’t have power when they went home,” he adds. “So, they had their own struggles when they got home the first week. They’re working these same long hours, and then they’re going to a house without power or staying with someone who did have power, maybe staying at a home they’re not used to.”

The number of Illinois lineworkers answering the call to help in Helene’s aftermath, traveling even farther than their neighboring states, impacted him as well. “[It’s] cool that all the guys from Illinois rolled out to do this,” he says. “That was pretty amazing.”

It’s even more amazing when the estimated time originally thought needed for recovery was 30 days. “I think, honestly, [it was] more like 10,” McTaggart says. “I think it’s hard for everybody to judge what 200 men can do, all working toward the same mission.”

 

In the end, 104 lineworkers from 21 electric cooperatives across Illinois assisted with the recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene. As for Davis, Baskett, Gaines and McTaggart, they say they would “absolutely,” without hesitation, answer the call again.